Frank Herbert's Dune Miniseries - Part One: Dune
FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE MINISERIES - Part One: Dune by John Harrison Based on the novel by Frank Herbert Revisions 11/15/1999 ©1999 New Amsterdam Entertainment, Inc. Converted by duneinfo.com Act One: FADE IN: PRINCESS IRULAN CORRINO (Voice-over): Arrakis. Dune. Wasteland of the Empire, and the most valuable planet in the Universe. Because it is here and only here, where spice is found. Without the spice, there is no commerce in the empire, no civilization. Arrakis. Dune. Home of the Spice, most valuable treasure in the universe. And he who controls it, controls our destiny. A black void where... A PLANET slowly emerges. Forming in orange/gold mists. Desolate, monochromatic contours. No clouds. Just a thin cover of cirrus vapor. And somewhere...A mechanical voice...lecturing with monotonous precision. VOICE:....Arrakis...Dune...wasteland of the Empire. Wilderness of hostile deserts and cataclysmic storms. Home to the monstrous sandworm that haunts the vast desolation. The only planet in the universe where can be found...the SPICE. Guardian of health and longevity, source of wisdom, gateway to enhanced awareness. Rare and coveted by noble and commoner alike. The spice! Greatest treasure in the Empire... And now... ANOTHER VOICE: Not mechanical. BARON HARKONNEN: And so it begins. The trap is set. The prey approaches... Suddenly the planet becomes transparent. It's a HOLOGRAM! And there behind it... The face of the BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN. Staggeringly obese. Staring with intimidating intensity at the 3D globe suspended in front of him. The calm of his voice is frightening. EXTERIOR - THE BARON'S SUITE...THE HARKONNEN PALACE - NIGHT BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: A glorious winter is about to descend on House Atreides and all its heirs. The centuries of humiliation visited upon my family will finally be avenged. Behind him... MALE VOICE (GLOSSU RABBAN HARKONNEN): BUT ARRAKIS WAS MINE. ANOTHER VOICE (FEYD-RAUTHA RAQBBAN HARKONNEN): Shut up, Rabban! The Baron turns around. REVEALING......his two NEPHEWS...GLOSSU RABBAN HARKONNEN...A.K.A. "the Beast"...his fat sweaty face twisted with rage. Standing with his younger brother...FEYD-RAUTHA RAQBBAN HARKONNEN. Devastatingly handsome, well-built. Icy eyes. RABBAN: I did what you said, Uncle. I made the people cower. I crushed that vile planet... FEYD: He said "squeeze", brother, not "crush". ACROSS THE ROOM...the Baron is floating in “suspensors” while a beautiful young BOY gives him a massage. BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: Rabban aspires to rule House Harkonnen one day, Feyd, yet he can't even rule himself. Explain our plan, will you, Mentat? And he turns to...PITER DE VRIES. Looking up from his studies. A gaunt, horrible looking man with red-stained lips. PITER DE VRIES: The plan is elegant...and vicious, dear Baron. BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: Of course it is. I designed it. PITER DE VRIES: In order for the Empire to survive, the spice must flow. But production has become... (With a look toward Rabban.) ...inconsistent. Rabban flushes with anger. PITER DE VRIES: In his wisdom, the Emperor has decided only one man is honest enough and loyal enough to be trusted with restoring Spice production adequately. Duke Leto Atreides... For some reason, the Baron starts to laugh. PITER DEVRIES: The handsome Duke reluctantly agrees to leave his beloved home on Caladan to assume control of Arrakis. BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN:...temporarily interrupting eighty years of Harkonnen rule and all the profits that go with it... RABBAN: (Feeling enraged.) YAAAAHHHH!!!!! BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: I said "temporarily"...(under his breath.)...you moron. PITER DE VRIES: After a few minor disturbances and some sabotage the Duke's warmasters assure him things are under control. And then, at the moment of his greatest confidence... BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: The traitor strikes! RABBAN: Traitor? Who? BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: That remains my little secret for now. FEYD: What about the Landsraad...the other Great Houses? They're sure to protest... BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: Perverting common wisdom, Nephew, is the mark of all great conspiracies. Continue, Piter... PITER DE VRIES: Other royal Houses will indeed protest. But only as a dinner guest complains he's eaten too much before asking for desert. BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: You see, Nephews, a popular man arouses jealousy. And Duke Leto is a very popular man. The other great Houses will be glad to be rid of him...even though they'd never admit it. And he pulls a small, jeweled box from his vestments. INSIDE...glittery, golden powder. Spice, no doubt. He takes a pinch. Inhales it deeply. BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: The spice will flow. The Emperor will be pleased. And House Harkonnen will be more powerful than ever. He turns back to the floating holovid of Arrakis, his face framed by its oval shape. BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN: Alone and vulnerable ... at the edge of the universe...the valiant Duke Leto will finally come face to face with fear. (The CAMERA moves in.) ''When I'm through, he won't know whom to trust. Not even that Bene Gesserit witch he sleeps with. They'll all be turning on one another like rats in a flood. ''(The CAMERA moves closer and closer.) ''By the time the traitor is fully revealed...the fate of Atreides will already be sealed. The Baron's face finally evaporates behind the holovid planet until finally... A deafening EXPLOSION shatters it. And through the smoke... INTERIOR - A ROYAL PALACE ON CALADAN ...SOMEWHERE – NIGHT The CAMERA (POV) is racing through... Chaos and panic. People fleeing in all directions. Savage hand-to-hand combat rages. Soldiers, dressed in the blue (Harkonnen) uniforms slaughtering those, clad in the green and black (Atreides) uniforms. OUTSIDE...the pounding "thump" of ORNITHOPTERS. Accompanied by the scream of rockets. Plasma fire rips the night sky. VOICE: FATHER...FATHER...!!! The CAMERA speeds down the corridors. Across the interior courtyards. Searching until...there...in the middle of the maelstrom... A tall, elegant figure. Formal Atreides Officer dress. Back to the CAMERA. Rigid. Unmoving. Seemingly indifferent. VOICE: FATHER.... The figure slowly turns. A chiseled, implacable face. Dominated by cold, unblinking eyes. DUKE LETO ATREIDES. A smile pulls at his mouth. But as CAMERA gets closer... It's no longer a smile. It's a grimace. The rictus of death. The skin tightens and shreds. Falling away until all that's left is a dull, colorless skull. VOICE: FATHER!!!! And that's when... A YOUNG MAN awakens with a desperate gasp. Eyes wild and frightened. Sweat pouring off him. IT PULLS BACK TO REVEAL... PAUL ATREIDES. Handsome and intense. And barely 15 years old. INTERIOR – THE PRIVATE APARTMENT ...THE ATREIDES SPACE FRIGATE VOICE: ''(in the background.) ...you must remember, Paul, that our civilization rests upon a political tripod...the most unstable of structures. Paul slowly gets up. Fighting the nausea. Crossing the room unsteadily ......past a desk where the small HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE of a man (DR. WELLINGTON YUEH) continues to speak. Paul ignores it. DR. WELLINGTON YUEH'S IMAGE: A deceptive balance of power exists between the Emperor, the congress of Great Houses...and the supposedly impartial Spacing Guild with its invulnerable monopoly on interstellar transport... SWIISSSSSHHHHH! The air-lock of the door across the room releases. LADY JESSICA ATREIDES enters. Stunningly beautiful and regal. She sees Paul......at a WINDOW that looks out into the interior of... A SPACING GUILD HEIGHLINER. A magnificent, seemingly endless interstellar cargo hold where hundreds of the ATREIDES FRIGATES are moored. DR. WELLINGTON YUEH'S IMAGE: (Continuing.) Complicated by a feudal trading culture that turns its back on most science, our society is a tangled web of competing forces that threaten to... Jessica comes over to his desk. Presses a button there. The tutorial abruptly ends. The holographic images of Dr. Wellington Yueh vanishes. LADY JESSICA ATREIDES: Dr. Yueh would be disappointed. PAUL ATREIDES: Then he'd know how I feel. JESSICA: It's never easy to leave one's home, Paul. But think of this as a new adventure. The adventure of a lifetime. PAUL ATREIDES: You call this an adventure? Giving up our home for...what? Some dry speck of dust...in the middle of nowhere? LADY JESSICA ATREIDES: You are a Duke's son, Paul. You have duties, responsibilities... PAUL ATREIDES: How could I ever forget? Every day I have to eat "responsibility" for breakfast...and "honor" for dinner. LADY JESSICA ATREIDES: Sarcasm doesn't become you, Paul. He turns away. A little ashamed. But still upset. PAUL ATREIDES: I just want to see my father. LADY JESSICA ATREIDES: So do I. She caresses his face. Eyes gleaming with that passionate, unconditional love only a mother can have for a son. Then she speaks again... LADY JESSICA ATREIDES: The Reverend Mother has arrived. She wants to see you before we depart... She heads to a closet. Starts pulling out his formal attire. Paul watches her a moment. Then he talks to her again... PAUL ATREIDES: Why are you afraid of her, Mother? (Watching her showing off her look.) The pitch of your voice gives you away. LADY JESSICA ATREIDES: (Feigning calm.) She was my teacher at the Bene Gesserit school. Now she's the Emperor's Truthsayer. PAUL ATREIDES: You haven't answered my question. LADY JESSICA ATREIDES: (After a beat...) I've given you more Bene Gesserit training than the boys ever get. She wants to see what kind of student you've been. INTERIOR – THE ATREIDES FRIGATE GUEST CHAMBERS.....SHORT TIME LATER Spare, but exquisite.Paul and Jessica enter to FIND... The REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM. An old woman in a long black gown and a hooded white headdress. Sitting solemnly on a tapestried chair at the far end of the room. She glares at Paul. Predatory eyes. Clear and unblinking. REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN: You've given him your face, Jessica. But the father has given him his eyes... LADY JESSICA ATREIDES: And his courage. REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN: We shall see. Come here, boy. Let me have a better look at you. But Paul stubbornly doesn't move. Jessica stiffens. REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN: If you know what's good for you, you'll do as I say. She's using THE VOICE. A combination of both the overtones and the harmonics that is both hypnotic and compelling. Paul involuntarily stops forward. But he suddenly stops himself by fighting the urge. PAUL ATREIDES: (Using the Voice against her.) I'll be the judge of what's good for me. The Reverend Mother glares at him with surprise...and not a little alarm. His resistance is unexpected: REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN: Your mother has taught you many things, I see. Paul still doesn't move. REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: She tells me...you dream. Paul suddenly loses concentration. Then he turns to his mother. A look of betrayal sweeps over him. LADY JESSICA ATREIDES: (Fiercely walks over to stand in front of Mohiam as if in defiance.) Your Reverence, if I could explain... REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: You're dismissed, Jessica. Without another word, Jessica unwillingly curtsies...and leaves. PAUL Since when is it permitted to treat the Lady Jessica as a common servant? REVEREND MOTHER: She was a common servant. My servant. And a good one, too...until she was sixteen...and your father, took her.... (Her heart continues to beat.) Now, I would like to hear about your dreams. PAUL ATREIDES: They're just dreams. Paul clearly doesn't want to discuss this. REVEREND MOTHER HAIUS HELEN MOHIAM:(Using the VOICE; more intense.) About what? PAUL ATREIDES: Men dying... REVEREND MOTHER HAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: Which men? PAUL ATREIDES: (after a beat.) I don't know. REVEREND MOTHER HAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: You're lying. What else? PAUL ATREIDES: Sometimes I see strange people...worshipping the water...and singing...a strange name...my name, I think...and then...wars...terrible wars...millions dying.... REVEREND MOTHER HAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: Jihad! PAUL ATREIDES: ...sometimes there's a girl...a skinny girl...and she frightens me...her eyes are strange...blue, all blue... REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: And do you know this girl? PAUL ATREIDES: No. REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: What do you think they mean, these dreams of yours? PAUL ATREIDES: (Sounded to speak so cold-hearted and hatred.) Why don't you tell me? He's using the VOICE, too! Impudent. Defiant. Maximum attitude. The Reverend Mother studies Paul intensely a moment. Then she pulls a small box from her robes. REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: Do you know what this is? She holds it out. A black metallic cube, an object that reflects no light upon it. One side of the cube is open. But inside of it was also a emptiness without an end. REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: It is a test, young Atreides. PAUL ATREIDES: A test for what? REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: Put your hand inside...and we'll see. The VOICE. More intense. Paul unwillingly comes over to her. Compelled. But curious. Intrigued. As he slowly puts his hand in, he looks back at her in suspicion. PAUL ATREIDES: What's in it? REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: Pain. Frowning, Paul starts to jerk back. But the Reverend Mother suddenly grabs his throat so fast that he has no time to react. On her fingertip was a silver thimble with a glistening silver needle poised at Paul's jugular. REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: I hold the Gom Jabbar at your throat, young Atreides. Keep your hand in the box and live. Remove it and die. And with that, her eyes close. Her breathing slows. She's going into some kind of trance. Paul looks down and he's amazed because the PAIN BOX becomes transparent, vanishing right before his eyes. And that's when the pain comes. His hand starts to smoke, starting to burn literally. He glances back at the doors. REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: She won't save you. He struggles to remain still. The pain gets worse. PAUL ATREIDES: (Chanting.) ''"I must not fear...fear is the mind killer..." REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEN MOHIAM: That's right, boy. Pray... Paul angrily stares at his hand in horror. The skin is curling. The flesh is starting to peel away. The bones are on fire. PAUL ATREIDES: ''(Straining.) "...I will face my fear...and it will pass through me...and when it's gone there will be nothing...only I will remain..." The old woman concentrates harder...harder...until... Her eyes fly open in terror. She falls back...exhausted. Paul looks down. The BOX has returned. He can't see his hand. But the pain has stopped. As if it n ever happened. REVEREND MOTHER No woman child ever withstood that much pain. Paul slowly holds up his hand. There's not a mark on it._ He's astonished. REVEREND MOTHER You're a gifted boy, young Atreides. But you have much to learn. The DOOR behind Paul suddenly opens. Jessica is there. Shuddering with relief as she approaches. But... Paul backs away. Glares at her reproachfully. PAUL You should have warned me. REVEREND MOTHER She was forbidden! JESSICA (to Paul) I'm sorry... Paul meets her eyes. Then...he stomps away toward the door. JESSICA Paul... He never turns back. And once he's gone... REVEREND MOTHER (to Jessica; furious) You were supposed to have a daughter. INT. ATREIDES FRIGATE CORRIDORS.....MOMENTS LATER Jessica and the Reverend Mother move swiftly down these sterile, quiet hallways. REVEREND MOTHER You've hopelessly complicated matters. An Atreides daughter could've have been wed